Robin David Sampson (born 23 November 1940) is a New Zealand

archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

who represented his country in the men's individual event at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

. He was the first New Zealand archer to compete at an Olympic Games.

Biography

Born in

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council ...

, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) on 23 November 1940, Sampson later migrated to New Zealand. He settled in

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

, where he found work with the

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

. He became a naturalised New Zealand citizen in May 1972, less than three months before the start of the Munich Olympics. Sampson was a member of the Richmondvale Archery Club. He came to national attention at the 1969 New Zealand national archery championships in

Whangārei Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. It is part of the Whangārei District, a local body created in 1989 from the former Whangārei City, Whangārei County and Hikurangi Town coun ...

, where he was one of seven competitors to score over 1000 points in the FITA round and earn an international gold star. At those championships, he also finished equal second in the men's clout. Sampson entered the 1971 national championships in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

as one of only two New Zealand archers to have attained the 1100 gold start award, and the reigning East Coast, Bay of Plenty and North Island archery champion, and went on to win the men's open title. He also won the men's clout, with a championship record 308 points, breaking the previous tournament record by 14 points. The following month, he won the Wellington men's archery title, with a score of 1105, 6 short of the New Zealand record. At the 1972 national championships held at

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

, Sampson successfully defended his national open title. He also won the men's freestyle field championship, but did not retain the men's clout title. The qualifying standard for the 1972 Summer Olympics was four scores of 1100 or more, which Sampson achieved with scores of 1125, 1136, 1152 and 1155. The New Zealand Archery Association (NZAA) also required two rounds over 1160 at the New Zealand Olympic trials, and Sampson gained totals of 1179 and 1228, respectively. He was subsequently nominated by the NZAA, and his selection was confirmed by the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association. Sampson became the first New Zealander to compete in archery at an Olympic Games. On the first day of competition in the men's individual event at Munich, he reportedly suffered badly from nerves, scoring 235 out of a possible 360 points in the opening 90-metre rounds, well below the totals that he had been posting in practice. He eventually finished the tournament in 53rd place, out of 55 competitors.

References

External links

Photograph of Sampson at an archery tournament in Gisborne in 1971, ''Gisborne Photo News'', no. 200, 24 February 1971, page 37
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sampson, Robin 1940 births Living people New Zealand male archers Olympic archers for New Zealand Archers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Bulawayo Naturalised citizens of New Zealand Zimbabwean emigrants to New Zealand Sportspeople from Hastings, New Zealand